


Inside The Closet

by SomedayonBroadway



Category: Newsies - All Media Types, Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Fluffy, Friendship, Kissing, M/M, Romance, shy boys
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:27:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23263219
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomedayonBroadway/pseuds/SomedayonBroadway
Summary: In which Race and Spot are stuck in a closet and Jack knows a secret or two.
Relationships: Racetrack Higgins & Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon & Jack Kelly, Spot Conlon/Racetrack Higgins
Comments: 13
Kudos: 80





	Inside The Closet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AriaMoon_79252](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=AriaMoon_79252).



> Hello friends! I'm back with another request! I'm so behind on them and I'm really trying to get as many as I can done. And this one was super fun to write!
> 
> This was a request from a user named AriaMoon_79252. I believe this user got locked out of their account, however, but they do have another by now? I believe so. I think I've been taking requests from both accounts, lol.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy what is almost a bit of fluff!

The alarms were loud at first. But it was nothing compared to the pure silence that reigned the halls of his school at the moment.

Race's heart was in his throat.

He wished beyond anything he could remember what class his brother was in this period.

Shop? No… Calc… no…

He couldn't think. What time was it?

The lights were off. All the lights were off.

No teacher was allowed to open the door for him now.

He was just a sixteen year old kid with nothing to defend himself as he ran through the open hallways of Roosevelt High School all alone. The school was on lockdown. And he didn't want to think about why.

With a desperate whine, the boy caught sight of a janitor's closet. He made a dash for it, praying it was open as he heard something behind him slam.

Someone was just around the next corner.

He pulled the door open and slammed it behind him as quietly as he could, stumbling back as he tripped over what he assumed to be a mop of some kind. He bit down on his tongue to keep from screaming as his arm was grabbed onto and he was whirled around, bringing his hands up in a defensive position before he saw who it was that was standing there.

"Spot?" he breathed.

He couldn't help the relief that rushed through his veins.

Spot. It was Spot. He knew Spot. He liked Spot. He was in love with—

He blinked himself out of _those_ thoughts fast as he tried to figure out how to breathe again.

The boy in front of him slowly relaxed right along with him. It was only then that Race saw that Spot was holding a broken broom in his hand, ready to run it through someone's torso if they dared run at him.

But Spot lowered it as he tried to calm himself down.

"Jesus, Racer, ya scared me ta death," the shorter boy whispered, offering Race his hand and guiding the blond over further into the closet.

Just as Race was about to take a step, a slam was heard outside the door. And the slightly younger boy could hardly contain his terrified yelp. Spot rushed back to him and cupped a hand over his mouth.

Race froze. He could feel Spot's breath on his neck.

He closed his eyes, waiting for the footsteps to pass. He watched as Spot reached past him and carefully moved to bolt the door shut without making any noise.

Someone jiggled the lock.

Race's breath hitched. He whimpered a bit as Spot cautiously maneuvered him backwards. And then footsteps were heard.

And the boys could breathe again.

Spot loosened his hold on Race. Race turned to him quickly, wrapping his arms around his brother's friend and held to him tightly, practically clinging to him. All Spot could do was freeze.

Race couldn't hear how fast the other boy's heart was beating.

It must've been a full minute before Race calmed down enough to let go, realizing what he'd been doing. He tried to clear his throat and shake himself out of the terror that had swallowed him whole. "S-sorry…" he whispered, letting his eyes slowly adjust to the almost pitch black room he was now in. "I… I c-couldn't rememba' wh-where Jack was n'... I w-was in the bathroom 'fore the alarm went off so—"

"It's fine…" Spot muttered quietly, shifting uncomfortably from leg to leg.

He and Race hadn't been alone together in a long time. At least a year.

Race was beginning to get light headed. He reached for his phone in his back pocket, sliding it into his hand before it clattered to the ground. He cursed under his breath, reaching down for it at the same time Spot did.

Their fingers brushed against each other's own. And they froze. Race pulled back, scratching the back of his neck as Spot stuttered for a moment, grabbing the phone and lifting it up for the other boy who looked down at it and bit his tongue to hold back a whimper when he caught sight of the cracked screen. It was practically shattered. " _Shit_ …." he muttered.

Spot felt his heart drop. His best friend's brother was clearly panicking. And neither of them had any idea what to do. "Race, it's just a phone… I'm sure Medda won't be mad," he tried to calm.

"B-but…" the blond stopped himself, desperately trying to calm down. If there was one thing in the world he didn't want to do, it was cry in front of Spot Conlon.

And then Spot's hand came down cautiously on the back of his neck. Race swore he could feel warmth bubble up in him. "Ya wanna… ya wanna sit down?" Spot asked. Race nodded and let the older boy guide him to a corner of the small room where he must've previously been sitting down on an overturned bucket.

For a second a tense silence fell over the room. Race closed his eyes and tried to count out his breaths like his brothers did for him when he forgot how to breathe. Spot sat crisscrossed in front of him on the floor and waited for him to open his eyes again.

When Race did, he looked up at Spot and found himself speechless.

It hadn't been easy avoiding Spot. Not when him and Jack always seemed to be together. Race knew it wouldn't be easy.

But he wasn't supposed to feel the way he did about his brother's best friend. Because that meant chaos.

He just couldn't help it.

"So… you uh… you good?"

Race almost laughed at that. He didn't know how to feel right now. "I… are you okay?"

Spot nodded, a small smile coming over his lips. "Yeah… I think so… nice ta not be alone…"

The blond boy nodded, offering his friend a small smile. He shifted uncomfortably as he looked around awkwardly, not knowing what else to say. He knew he needed something to distract himself. Something to take his mind off of the dangers outside.

He didn't like the darkness or the small space. He wished he could remember where Jack was.

"Race?"

"Spot?"

"You watchin' any new Netflix shows?"

The question made Race pause for a moment and he looked at his brother's best friend, unsure of what the other boy was getting at.

But when he looked up, he saw Spot smiling shyly up at him, clearly searching for some kind of distraction himself.

So Race smiled. "No, Jack actually started paying for Prime…"

—

"No, you're kidding me! They are totally in love—"

"Okay, but there don't have ta be. My point is, even if they were just friends—"

"No. I'm not having this conversation. They are going to run away together and get married on another planet."

—

"Wait, you're telling me they _don't_ get married? He was perfect!"

"I can't spoil it for you! Ya have ta watch it!"

" _Race_!"

—

"That one's Jack's favorite! It's actually really funny."

"I don't get it. He's a psychic?"

"No, that's what makes it funny!"

—

"You're telling me… you haven't _read. Harry. Potter_."

"Wh-... I…"

"No no no, you have no defense."

—

"We just got him. He's an emotional support puppy."

"I want him."

"Don't you dare dog-nap my puppy."

—

They didn't know how long it had been. Whispered conversation carried them through the day.

Spot had forgotten how easy Race was to talk to.

Race had forgotten how comfortable he could get around Spot.

Race had ended up on the floor at some point. They were shoulder to shoulder now, sitting and watching the door. Well, not truly anymore. Race had almost forgotten about the situation happening beyond that door.

"So how've you been, Racer? Really?"

Shrugging a bit, the blond boy sighed. "I've been doin' better. Jackie sure made sure a' that…" the boy laughed a little. "I neva' thought we'd get adopted all together… but Medda is amazin'. Crutchie can sleep all on his own now, which is great. Archie helps with that. N'... I started seein' someone… about… um… our last house…"

At that, Spot's face lit up. And Race's heart stuttered in his chest. "Yeah?"

Nodding, Race smiled. "Yeah… I'm gettin' betta… got me on the right meds an' everythin'..." he stared, sounding unafraid of that fact for what must've been the first time. "But… I miss hangin' out with _you_..."

Spot softened even more at that, nodding a bit in agreement. "I mean, I'm normally only a bedroom away…"

The younger boy looked down at Spot and shook his head. "Ain't the same as it used ta be…" he admitted.

Spot couldn't disagree, so he remained silent.

It was true. Spot and Race had known each other practically their whole lives. Ever since Spot and Jack had become friends in the second grade. Race used to tag along with them all the time. They were their own special unit.

But something happened when they'd grown up. High school had started. Spot had seen a change in himself and his best friend's brother.

And it terrified him.

"H-how are things for you?" Race asked, desperate to keep the conversation flowing, not wanting to think anymore. He couldn't unleash his thoughts yet. Not now.

"Things are alright. My step dad and I actually… uh… we're doin' betta'... it ain't perfect… but it's betta'... we go ta see my ma every week," he explained, knowing Race probably already knew all of this. After all, he was typically only a bedroom away. "She's gettin' out in a couple months and they's gonna renew their vows, so… it's okay…" he admitted, feeling a warmth flow up in him.

Things had changed for the both of them. Things were smoothing out.

"I… I miss pizza nights…" It was a random statement. Race wasn't even sure he'd meant to say it out loud. But now it was out there. And Spot chuckled. So Race smiled. "We'd order pizza and Jack would put some ridiculous topping on it. Charlie pick the movie n' we'd fall asleep on top of each otha'..." he reminisced, truly remembering how at one point in his life, he'd been completely carefree. He'd had his brothers. And he'd had Spot. And it was all he could've asked for. Adoption be damned, he had who he needed right there.

But that was a long time ago.

"Jack is such an idiot. Who in the hell puts ice cream on pizza?" Spot shook his head.

"My brother does. N' _you_ ate it," the other boy quipped, shoving him in the shoulder a bit.

Spot rolled his eyes, but shoved his friend back. And then he turned to look at the blond. Really look at him.

Even in the dark he could see those beautiful blue eyes.

Two years now. Two years he'd known he'd never be able to look at his best friend's brother without getting sucked into those crystal orbs. Two years he'd known something was different. Two years he'd been trying to avoid it all for this to happen.

They were in a closet. And no one was around to berate them or embarrass them or tell them they were wrong.

And Jack wasn't around to kill him.

Spot stared for a long while before he heard something outside the door crash. They could die today. A mix of fear and bravery and just a bit of adrenaline coursed up in him as he pushed himself towards the beautiful boy beside him.

That's when their lips met for the first time.

Race did not pull away. Neither did Spot.

Spot reached up to cup the other boy's cheek, feeling his fingers brush up against soft blond curls on the back of Race's neck.

It was a long, soft kiss. It was perfect.

And then it was over.

Race crashed back into reality quick, pulling away from his friend looking at him in shock.

Spot Conlon had just kissed him.

 _Spot. Conlon._ Had just _kissed him._

He couldn't form words. Neither of them could.

Spot looked shocked at himself and it made Race's heart beat even faster as he looked around for some kind of escape.

That's when he remembered why they were hiding in the first place.

A minute felt like an hour.

The boys might as well have been stuck in that closet for centuries, neither one of them speaking a word. Spot wanted to apologize. Race wanted to ask him if that had been real or not.

But they couldn't find the words.

In the darkness, Spot couldn't truly see the blush rising up Race's neck. But he could damn well feel the one spreading on his own cheeks.

Though both of their faces became clear when frantic footsteps were heard outside the door that was fiddled with only seconds later before someone who sounded so familiar started to call out for them. "Racer! Spottie! Please tell me you're in there!"

_Jackie._

Race was up in an instant, rushing to unlock the door.

He was swallowed up in a tight embrace in mere seconds. And he allowed himself to hide in his brother's chest.

"Oh thank God…" Jack breathed. Race felt him place a hand in his hair. "I've been callin'. Ya weren't answerin'..."

"His phone broke…" Spot chimmed in. Race just held to Jack even tighter. "How'd ya find us?"

"Well, I can track Race's phone through mine. So I guess it ain't completely broke," Jack stated before pressing a kiss to Race's head.

A bit embarrassed, Race finally found the courage to pull away and wipe at his nose, looking around to find only a few prying eyes.

Him and his brothers were close. Some people thought it was weird.

Race did not like it when people started staring.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jack asked, sounding more worried that the younger boy would've appreciated. Managing a nod, Race took a shuddering breath. "Ya didn't hear the bell?" All Race could do was shake his head. He didn't trust his own voice. Jack sighed and looked past him to who his little brother could only assume was Spot. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine, Jackie-boy," the boy insisted. "Ya know why we were even on lockdown?"

"Some maniac runnin' from the cops. He tried ta hide in here. They caught him," Jack described vaguely, wrapping an arm around Race's shoulders to keep him close. "Crutchie is already out with Mama… you wanna go with him?" the older boy asked, shaking him a little. "Or d'ya wanna go back n' the closet with Spottie?" he teased.

Race was sure he turned bright red at the words. He made a point not to look back at his brother's best friend.

"Shuddup, JJ. We was tryin' not ta die, alright?" Spot quipped, feeling himself begin to blush himself. He prayed Race didn't see that.

But Jack just smirked.

Damn him for knowing how Spot felt about that perfect blond boy.

And damm Jack for knowing how Race felt about that ridiculously ripped football player.

Without warning, Race shook his head and pulled out of Jack's reach, fiddling with his own hair for a moment and he paused for a moment, not knowing if he should speak before he decided against it, rushing off to where he knew his mother's car had to be.

Jack didn't stop him. But he looked back towards Spot. "Ya gonna tell me what happened?" he asked.

Spot glared at him.

"I'll take that as a no," Jack decided, raising his hands up in defense. And he turned to go, with one more glance back in Spot's direction before he shook his head and followed his little brother down the hall.

—

"This has to stop."

Jack stood in his littlest brother's doorway, arms cross over his chest.

"Uhh… me readin' a book in silence while you watch ominously from the doorway. Agreed," Charlie quipped, smirking at the other boy when all he received from him was a glare. "Okay, I'm assuming you mean, Race n' Spottie?"

That was all it took to set Jack off. "Spot won't even come over here if he knows Race'll be here! And every time I mention Spot, Race clams up n' starts blushing and it hurts, Crutch," Jack said, placing a hand over his heart dramatically. "It's painful."

The younger boy laughed at that, but nodded his head in agreement. "Well, somethin' definitely happened between 'em, but I don't think they's talked ta each other in weeks," he mused, smirking at his brother. "So what's ya plan?"

Jack grinned.

—

"Hey, Spottie!"

Race froze at his brother's voice. He sunk down further into the couch he sat on, just within the front door and tried to hide.

Spot. Spot was here.

He hadn't spoken to the older boy in at least a month.

He was too embarrassed.

That kiss… he'd imagined it. He knew he had. Because that couldn't have been real.

He'd been crushing on _The Spot Conlon_ since his freshman year. Spot was popular and cool and perfect and Race was just… _Race_ …

"Hey, I gotta clean out this closet f'r Medda real quick n' then we can go upstairs," he heard Jack say. Race thought nothing of it. He just wrapped his arms around himself as the TV kept playing.

Crutchie walked into the room, giving him an odd look. Race cleared his throat, trying to act natural as he crossed his arms over his chest and stared straight ahead at the cartoon that was playing in front of him, shifting into somewhat of a more comfortable position, but making sure he was still hidden from view.

He didn't want to face the other boy right now.

Or ever.

He didn't know what to say.

But Jack seemed to have other plans. "Hey, Racer? Could ya come n' gimme a hand please?" his brother called. Race paled.

That was perfect. Now Spot knew he was here.

Letting out a breath as he made his way to his feet, the boy walked right past Spot. The other boy didn't take his eyes off of him for a second.

Jack was fidgeting with something just in the doorway of the closet. "What, Jack?" Race snapped, wanting to get this over with and then lock himself in his room for the next hundred years.

The older boy hopped off of the step stool he was standing on and then kicked it outside the door. Without even looking at him, he just said, "come here…"

And Race did. After all, he didn't have any reason not to. He stepped into the small space and Jack stepped around him, pressing a quick peck to the side of his head.

That was when everything happened too fast for anyone to comprehend.

Jack pushed Race further into the small closet and grabbed Spot by the wrist, easily pulling the shorter boy into the space too and shutting the door quickly. That was when the blond snapped out of it and tried to rush forward. "Jack, what the—?"

"I can't watch you two avoid each other f'r the rest of your lives! One conversation, that's all I'm askin'," Jack stated through the door. "You're my best friend and my little brother n' I love you both. But this whole bein' scared a' one another has ta stop!"

Race shook his head. "Jack, I swear ta God!"

"I'll rip your arms off, Kelly! Open the damn door!"

There was no reply.

Race looked over.

Spot was so close to him.

Their eyes met after a moment. Race backed up as far as he could, pressing his back up against the wall. Spot did the same. Then they looked away.

Neither of them spoke. Not for a long while. Race fidgeted with the loose string in his pocket and Spot chewed on the inside of his cheek.

But they could only take the silence for so long.

"Look… Race… if I went too far… I'm sorry. I just…" Spot shook his head as he searched for the right words. He truly didn't know what to say. "I thought we were gonna die… I mean… I was scared that you'd never know that I…" he trailed off, afraid to admit it. He'd probably made this precious boy hate him.

He'd thought they were going to die. He truly had. He just needed to know what that felt like. What Race felt like. How things might be if he were just a little braver.

Race couldn't speak. He didn't know what he could say. His heart was beating so fast in his chest. It was real. That kiss had been real. But there was no way that Spot wanted to be with him. He wasn't anybody. He was just Jack Kelly's little brother.

Spot could only stare at the beautiful boy in front of him. He couldn't help it. Those blond curls, those blue eyes. The way he bit his lip when he was nervous. He was almost a hundred percent sure that Race didn't even know he did that. But it just made Spot fall a little harder for him.

It wasn't too long before he couldn't take it anymore.

"For Christ's sake, why did you have to be so goddamn pretty?" the older boy whispered.

Race looked up in shock for a moment. And just at that very second, Spot rushed forward to kiss him.

Fireworks went off in Race's head. And all he could do was kiss back.

Their lips fit perfectly on one another's. They moved in sync as Race reached to ball up the back of Spot's shirt in his hands. Spot's hands reached up to tangle in his curls.

If there was no need for air, they could've stayed there forever. But Spot pulled back for air. And Race couldn't help the blush or the grin that spread on his face. "I… I…"

"Would you just go out with me, Racer?"

The younger boy laughed, pulling at Spot's collar. "Yeah… yeah, I'd like that…"

And just as Spot dove back in for another kiss, the door was pulled open, revealing a clearly relieved Jack and Crutchie, sitting backwards on the couch with a bag of popcorn in his hand.

The second Jack saw them, he feigned disgust. "Okay, that's enough. That's all that needed to happen. I just don't need to see it," he stated, looking away.

Crutchie just snorted. "C'mon Jackie look… Racer's got a boyfriend," he teased.

Race stuck his tongue out at him. And then he turned to Jack. "I can't believe you just locked us in a closet. You're an asshole."

"But now you have a boyfriend!" Jack shot back immediately, gesturing to Spot as if Race didn't know what just happened.

Rolling his eyes, the boy just turned back to Spot. And he smiled. "Whatever…" he sighed. "Least I ain't gonna be alone forever, like someone I know," he stated, glancing back at his big brother for a moment, before kissing Spot right on the lips again.

Jack gawked in offense.

Crutchie laughed.

And Spot grinned.

"You believe this, Crutch? I give them both what they'd wan'ed f'r two years n' this's what I get," Jack complained, walking over to his littlest brother and flopping down onto the couch.

Spot just laughed and shook his head. "Okay, Cowboy, okay! We'll pay you back!" he laughed, sending a wink over in Race's direction. The blond boy blushed all over again.

"How about we start with buyin' ya some pizza?"

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it!
> 
> I thought it was cute!
> 
> Thanks again, AriaMoon for the request! I had tons of fun writing it! Hope I did it justice!
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't like, what you'd change or what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Love ya, fansies!


End file.
